Lex's New Mom
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Lex gains a mother and learns a lesson some one should have taught him a long time ago. Clex Slash Goodness.
1. Chapter 1

Title: "Lex's New Mom"  
Author: Pirate Turner  
Dedicated To: My beloved Mother and the love of my life, Jack, who's been asking me for a happy Clex fic  
Rating: R for mentions of sexual content  
Summary: Lex gains a mother and learns a lesson some one should have taught him a long time ago.  
Warnings: Slash, Religious Debate, Het  
Word Count (excluding heading): 9,961  
Challenge: This story started as an effort to answer MD's challenge to write a story that takes place in Summer during good weather but grew into its own by leaps and bounds and then became a Mother's Day present.  
Disclaimer: Clark "Superman" Kent, Lex Luthor, Martha Kent, Jonathan Kent, Lionel Luthor, Lana Lang, and Smallville are & TM DC Comics and any other respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Emeril is & TM himself, if any one, and is used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. Rolex and all mentioned games are & TM their respective owner, none of which is the author, and are used without permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Chapter One**

Lex closed his eyes as he walked into the clearing. The delightful aromas that filled the hideaway location Clark had found for them never ceased to amaze his senses. The sun was warming his skin, and a gentle breeze tugged at his suit. Birds sang, their cheery voices reminding him that there was still happiness and innocence in the world. The air was ripe with the scents of sweet strawberries; honeysuckle; wild roses; lush, Spring grass; and a dozen more scents that Lex could not put a name to yet reveled in nonetheless.

His blue eyes drifted open, and Lex smiled as he released a contented sigh. Then he chuckled quietly as he saw a flash of a cute, white tail bounding away through the trees on the other side of the clearing. This spot truly was Nature at her best.

That thought brought another chuckle as Lex reached out and plucked a plump strawberry off of a vine growing nearby. He popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the berry's succulent juice, as he reflected what all the people who thought they knew him, with the sole exception of his beloved Clark who was the only one who truly did know him, would think if they were to overhear him make such a remark. The outside world believed that, as a Luthor, he was cruel, wicked, and unable to take pleasure out of anything as "simple", beautiful, and innocent as the paradise currently surrounding him.

Only Clark knew better, and only with his love could Lex let his defenses down and be himself rather than the tyrant the world expected him to be and feared him as before he could even speak one word to them. Lex sighed and then let the outside go as he thought defiantly, {Let the imbeciles think what they will.}

He shrugged out of his designer jacket and let it fall onto the grassy meadow floor. He slipped his socked feet out of his shoes, then removed one sock at a time and dropped each into his abandoned shoes. He stood for a long moment, just wriggling his bare toes in the cool, green grass as he let the peace of the forest wash over him.

It was man who was tyrannical, Lex knew. Men like his father and hundreds, if not thousands or more, of others who would cast an eye upon this wonderful place, be blinded to its beauty, and see only the crisp greenbacks that could be made from destroying it all and building a shopping center or something of similar ilk in its stead. Lex would never be like that, he swore. He would preserve the time, trust, and openness it took to treasure such beauty, beauty that his eyes would have never been opened to in the first place if not for his beloved Clark.

Clark had shown him so many wonders that he'd never known existed that Lex had come to think of Clark as being more experienced than he often times. Though Clark would have argued with him, Lex knew it was true. He might know the world, but Clark knew the Earth, love, and everything that was truly important. Lex knew that he was lucky to have Clark in his life to show him all those marvelous miracles and share them with him.

Movement in the trees ahead caught his attention, and Lex's smile broadened as he saw the fawn sticking his little head out from around a tree and peering curiously at him. At least there was one little, innocent soul still completely untainted by the cruelty of mankind. He bent to one knee and held out a hand, palm facing up. He wished he had thought to stop and buy a salt lick along the way as he coaxed softly, "Here, fellow. It's okay."

The fawn continued to gaze at him unblinkingly, and Lex wriggled his fingers ever so slightly. He ceased movement immediately as the fawn took a step backward. As he continued to try to coax the baby deer out of hiding, Lex couldn't help thinking that Clark would have had him eating out of his hand by now. Clark had a way with animals that Lex supposed had something to do with his own innocence. He knew they felt a kindred soul in Clark for his heart was as huge, innocent, and timid as their own.

Lex feared the day Clark would lose his innocence, but before that thought could continue, urgent twittering resounded from one of the trees to Lex's right. His bald head jerked up, and the fawn skittered backwards behind the trees. Lex rose slowly to his feet, his widened, blue eyes riveted on a nest of birds. He could see a bunch of tiny heads, but two birds in particular were making all the fuss. One was considerably larger than the rest, and Lex deduced she must be the mother of the brood. Her mouth was screeching, and her small wings were flapping hysterically as she tried to call her baby back from where the adventurous tyke had tottered to the edge of the nest. She took to the air, calling out at the top of her lungs, and Lex watched in horror as the baby fell out of the nest.

Lex moved forward, though he knew he could never reach the baby in time. It spiraled through the air, flapping its tiny, feathered wings for all it was worth, with its mother flying behind it and desperately darting in as she tried to figure out how to save her baby. Then a strong, tanned hand appeared underneath the baby and gently caught it. The mother's screeches grew even wilder as she darted in, pecking at the face of the handsome hero. Lex breathed a sigh of relief at the welcome sight of his beloved Clark, his heart skittering and skipping a beat before settling back to normal. Clark's smile sent warmth crashing all the way through Lex, curling his toes, and washing away all his cares.

"Hi," Clark spoke as though rescuing a baby bird falling out of its nest was a normal, everyday occurrence.

Lex knew he was grinning like an idiot and didn't care as he responded, "Hi."

Clark briefly turned his attention to the mother bird who kept squawking at the top of her lungs while lunging at his face with her beak and talons. "Sh," Clark spoke as though he thought such a command might actually calm the bird. "It's okay, Mama," he tried to reassure her while keeping his voice so gentle and soft that Lex could barely hear him. "Your baby's okay. I'm just gonna lean up here like this . . . " He continued talking to the frightened bird as he leaned up on the toes of his cowboy boots and stretched his muscular, tanned arm up to the nest.

Lex felt his breath again catch in his throat as the sunlight glinted on Clark's bronze muscles, and he found himself yet again, as his heart hammered in the confines of his chest, reflecting on how lucky he was that this man was his. " . . . and put your baby . . . safely back in your nest."

Clark deposited the baby bird back into its home and stepped back. The mother bird gave a final squawk before flying back into her nest behind her baby and gathering her babies to her in her wings. As she began to clean the child she had almost lost, she started to sing a merry tune meant to be reassuring to her children. Her song also spoke to the hearts of the two men who had snuck away to this secluded paradise.

Clark turned from watching the birds to find Lex standing patiently behind him with a warm smile curving his light pink lips. Clark noted his bare feet, and his smile grew. "Started the party without me?" he asked softly as he stepped into Lex's open arms.

"Never," Lex murmured in response as he hugged his love close to his heart.

Each man relished every moment spent in the other's arms, and their tender hug was no exception. Lex let his eyes drift shut in rapture as he wished he could stay there, holding Clark, forever. His lips brushed Clark's jet black hair, and his smile grew even more, though he'd thought it impossible, at Clark's happy sigh.

It seemed to Clark that he was now waiting his whole life for these treasured moments with his beloved Lex that were far too few. Working on the farm, school, spending time with his family and friends, even saving Smallville on rare occasion -- all had become boring for no matter what else he might be doing, what he wanted to do was spend valuable time with the man he loved more than anything, or one, else in the world.

Clark was still holding Lex sweetly against his muscular chest when he sighted movement in the woods behind his love. His breath caught in his throat. If they were discovered, both their worlds would be destroyed! Lex's secret would be revealed to the entire world, and whereas Clark's sexual orientation would never shock the entire globe, it would shake his world until he was knocked, begging, to his knees for no one he loved other than Lex, not his dearest friends or even his loving parents, would ever understand.

They really would think him a monster, as evidenced from the last time he'd gone to Metropolis with his parents and heard his father talk about an openly gay couple who'd dared to hold hands. The act of holding hands was a simple gesture of lovers, but even that was forbidden to the ones of the same sex who fell in love together. Every one on the streets had either looked pointedly away or glared condescendingly at those two men who had dared to refuse to hide their feelings for each other.

Jonathan had been one of the latter, and Clark had felt his heart break when his father had told him to divert his eyes from the Devil's doing. He'd burned to shout at his dad that love was never the Devil's handiwork, that he should not begrudge any one their love, and that he himself loved a man but had managed to stay silent after also seeing his mother's teary gaze.

Clark's memory broke as the bushes moved . . .

**To Be Continued . . . **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

At the sight of the baby deer, all the tenseness that had built in Clark's body released, and his pent-up breath left him in a whoosh of relief.

"Clark?"

"It's okay, sweetheart. Move around real quiet like."

Lex turned around with Clark's arms still around him. "I saw him earlier," he remarked. "I wish I'd thought to stop and purchase a salt lick, but he'd probably flee from me any way."

"Stay right here," Clark told him in a hushed voice so as not to spook the fawn. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

Of course his love had thought to bring a treat for the deer!, Lex thought as he stood, not moving even a single muscle as his happiness continued to beam across his glowing, handsome face. There was not a man alive who was more thoughtful or kinder than his Clark!

Clark zipped back to the spot where he had dropped his picnic basket upon seeing the birds' plight. He ran so swiftly and soundlessly that the deer was not even aware he'd moved until Clark returned to Lex's side, carrying a salt lick. He knelt in the cool grass beside him, put the block of food a few inches in front of them, and coaxed softly, "It's okay, boy. We won't hurt you. Look. We brought you something to eat."

Lex marveled at Clark's gentle way with animals as he slowly coaxed the deer out of the protection of the woods. His amazement grew as he watched the fawn stumble cautiously into the clearing, make his way slowly to them, and tentatively begin to lick the cube of salt.

Lex could visibly see the baby deer trembling, and his heart ached for the frightened, wild, but gentle animal. Animals had been preyed upon, Lex found himself thinking, by the majority of mankind as badly as homosexuals had been. No, he quietly corrected himself, worse for man had succeeded in wiping out many whole species of animals. Would humans, with their bigoted prejudices, ever succeed in doing the same to gays?

One look into Clark's beautiful, blue eyes, and Lex knew his fears were unfounded for as long as there were men who felt the way he did about his wonderful partner, nothing would stop them from loving each other! "I love you," he whispered, forgetting about the deer.

The fawn's head jerked up, his tiny, tawny ears perked to alertness. "It's okay," Clark whispered, and the baby animal returned to his food. Looking back up into Lex's eyes, Clark told him, "I love you too. Give me your hand." He was careful to keep his voice so low that Lex could barely hear him.

Moving ever so slowly so as to not frighten the innocent life in their midst and wondering what he was about, Lex gave Clark his hand. Clark gradually drew Lex's hand toward the deer. Then, with his hand covering his, he placed it lightly upon the animal's side. The fawn froze. Lex followed Clark's silent example and didn't move. After a moment, the deer returned to eating.

Cupping his hand around Lex's, Clark began to slowly and gently draw Lex's hand over the fawn's fur. Lex almost pulled away at the deer's fearful trembling underneath his palm but hesitated to do so as Clark stilled their hands but kept them upon the animal. They waited patiently for the deer to return to licking and nibbling the salt lick once more before resuming stroking his fur.

Each time the deer stilled, Clark waited to move their hands again until his little, pink tongue, which Lex thought was just so adorable, flicked back out and resumed licking his brick of salt up at an eager, rapid pace. Ever so slowly, Lex began to pet the timid, wild animal underneath Clark's guiding hand.

Then, unexpectedly, Clark lifted his hand in mid-stroke. Lex hesitated for a split moment, then finished the stroke. When the deer did not bolt, he continued to pet him, his blue eyes sparkling as his heart and mind marveled at this latest miracle his love had granted him. The baby deer finished his salt lick and still continued standing there with them and enjoying Lex's gentle touch until a shadow fell over them. All three of their heads jerked up instantly, and the deer bolted swiftly back to his mother.

Lex's lips were still curved upwards, but there was a touch of reminiscent sadness to his smile this time. "Mother beckons," he spoke softly as he watched the deer fleet into the forest together.

Clark studied his sweetheart's handsome face intently. He knew he had lost his mother at an early age, and although he longed to be able to ease his pain, he realized that no matter how greatly he loved him, his love could never compare to that of a mother's. He hugged him so swiftly that Lex did not have a chance to start to cry before walking back to his picnic basket.

It wasn't that he didn't want his love to let go of his pent-up emotions and let his feelings flow freely. He would have been proud to hold the best man he'd ever known while he cried openly for never before had his beloved Lex allowed himself to do so. It was instead that he knew that Lex saw tears as a sign of weakness and would be angry at himself for crying if he did so.

Perhaps, one day, Clark would get to hold him as he cried and teach him that there was nothing shameful in tears. They were only the purest, most natural way of showing sorrow, and what could possibly sadden any one's soul more than the loss of somebody they loved, especially when that person was the only one to show them love for years?

With a soft sigh emitting from his full lips, Clark bent, opened the basket, and pulled out a thin blanket. Lex watched as Clark walked back to the middle of the clearing, his blue eyes feasting on his love's muscular legs clad only in tight jeans. His smile returned, and this time there was a touch of the Devil the rest of the world expected from the Luthors to it. He was the one who had taught Clark how good and freeing it felt to go without underwear, and he knew his beloved only went without when they had a secret rendezvous planned.

Lex tried to meet him here, or at least somewhere though this was their favorite spot, every day, but sometimes, thankfully seldom, his frantic schedule kept him away. Clark was always understanding and tended to even be less upset when business occupied his time than Lex himself was. Lex beamed at the man he was endlessly thankful to have as his boyfriend. Clark was always so very understanding about everything. Sometimes Lex actually thought he could tell Clark his deepest, darkest secrets and he would even understand about them.

Concern fluttered over Lex's handsome face and blue orbs for a passing moment. He could trust Clark with anything, but yet his love still refused to confide in him his greatest secret. Lex had worked hard to try to unravel it and was at last close to solving Clark's mystery -- or at least he thought he was --, but he still wished Clark would open up and just tell him the difference about him that troubled him so, the difference that often took Clark away from their time together early, the mystery that he never had a valid excuse to explain away.

Sadness tinged Lex's smile as he watched Clark shake out the star-striped blanket. Leave it to his love to have a picnic blanket made in the form of the American flag! Clark might be vastly different from any one who'd ever flown the stars and stripes before, but he was more of a hero than most of those other men could have ever hoped to be, past or present. Yes, his beloved Clark was a true hero. Lex knew that just as well as he knew the rest of the world looked at him as a villain because of his heritage. He expected, though he did not have the full proof he needed to be able to confront him with it yet, that his love also had his heritage to thank for his heroics.

Lex blinked as he saw a yellow piece of paper slip out of the blanket and fall to the ground. "Clark?"

Clark stared at the paper, clearly puzzled. He recognized the sheet as having been torn from his mother's notebook where she scribbled lists of needed groceries and chores that had to be done and the occasional recipe. He scooped, grabbed the paper, turned it over, and pulled his head back in surprise. His mother had written a note to him. Why? Why not just tell him what it was she wanted him to know, and why hide it in his picnic basket? His blue eyes darted over his mother's cursive handwriting, becoming wider with each word he read.

"My dearest Clark," the note began, "I really wish you wouldn't lie to me, but I understand your reasons and fear. I am sorry about your father. God knows I love Jonathan, but the man is set in his ways and thoughts, no matter how wrong they are. Still I wish you wouldn't lie to me. You know I love you, Clark, and I always will. You're my son. Nothing can ever change that or how much I love you - with all my heart."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Lex asked in concern as he strode over to join Clark beside the blanket. When he didn't answer and only continued to read the note, Lex glanced over his shoulder, started reading behind him, and gasped. "You _lied_ to your mother?"

"I couldn't exactly tell her about us now, could I?" Clark defended.

"No . . . " Lex agreed, but still he couldn't help feeling rather shocked that Clark, the one man who Lex had always staunchly believed would never tell an outright fib or do anything else he considered wrong, had _lied_ to any one, especially his _mother_! He read on.

Both the young men's minds were awhirl with questions of what to expect, but neither suspected, or would have ever dared to dream, of how Martha had closed her letter. "I know you're not meeting Lana, Clark," Martha wrote. "I saw her at the market yesterday afternoon, and when I asked her how she had liked my new rhubarb pie -- "

"It's delicious," Lex murmured quietly. So shocked was he that he didn't realize that he was answering a question that had been intended for Clark's supposed girlfriend.

" -- she didn't know what I was talking about. I asked her about your picnics. She told me that she hadn't seen you since Friday. I politely excused myself, but as I was leaving, I bumped into Lionel Luthor, who was looking for Lex."

Clark wondered what Lex's father was doing at the store. He'd always figured Lionel would be the type to send one of the hundreds of people who worked for him to the store rather than to deign to set one luxury shoe inside a grocery store.

Lex didn't wonder. He knew that his father was out to get not only Martha but her son, his love, as well. He knew they had secrets, and unlike Lex, who only wanted to be trusted with them, he wanted to find out what they were and exploit them to no end to further his own goal of being the richest and most powerful megalomaniac the world had ever known.

"That's when it all made sense," the letter continued. "You may think the world is as blind as it is ignorant to the way you two look at each other, but your mother is not. I know you love Lex, Clark, and I know you're meeting him today and have nearly every day for the last several months."

Both boys' jaws dropped wide open. Lex longed for a chair to sink into. Clark wavered. Lex grabbed his arm and kept him standing as they read on together.

"Your father is going out of town tonight. He has a sale early in the morning up above Metropolis. I think tonight is a perfect chance for you to bring Lex home with you." Lex's trembling fingers curled around Clark's sleeve as he fought to keep them both standing.

"I've packed you some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but tell Lex not to ruin his appetite. I know nothing can ruin your appetite, sweetheart, but I wouldn't be so sure about his. Tell him to come prepared for a real meal and a mother who will love him as long as he loves my son and does right by you."

"Wow . . . " Lex breathed, his shock clear on his paled face and tears shining in his blue eyes. He dabbed at them fiercely as his heart quivered within his throat.

"I love you, Clark!" Martha wrote before signing off.

Clark turned from reading his mother's name to hug Lex tightly. "Double wow," he agreed breathlessly.

Lex wrapped his arms around Clark as he held him so tightly to his chest that the embrace would have crushed any lesser man. Clark pulled just far enough away from Lex that he could gaze down into his tear-filled eyes. As a tear escaped his control, he wiped it gently away. "It's going to be okay, Lex."

"I don't know . . . " Lex whispered doubtfully. "What if she doesn't like me?"

Clark was struck by the little boy he heard crying in his love's voice and saw flitting across his upset face. He wiped away another tear and gently cupped his handsome face in his strong yet tender hands. "She already loves you." At the doubt that still shone in Lex's baby blues, he assured him, "You read the note," and kissed him.

Lex had read the note, but he didn't dare believe what it had said. Martha didn't love him! She wouldn't even like him! She couldn't, not when he had corrupted her only child! He was a wicked boy, an evil monster, that no one could love!

It was a miracle he was blessed with Clark's love. No one else could ever love him! He trembled inside as Clark hugged him tightly and continued to do his best to reassure him with his sweet kisses and Lionel's thundering, angry voice resounding in Lex's mind, telling him again of all the reasons why he would never be worthy of love.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Lex tried unsuccessfully to keep from fidgeting as he shifted the bouquets he held and knocked softly upon the door. Was he too early? Was he late? Clark's mother hadn't specified a time. Was it a trap?

Lex immediately scoffed at that absurd notion. Martha Kent was a kind and generous woman, a one-of-a-kind person who would never wish harm upon any one no matter how much she might not like him for corrupting her son.

Lex swallowed hard. No answer had come yet. Maybe Mrs. Kent had changed her mind. Maybe she had Clark locked away after telling him that he could never see him again. Maybe . . .

The door swung open, and Martha Kent stood on the other side, still wiping her hands off on her apron. For a moment, Lex's breath caught. He stood, stunned, for the setting rays of the golden sun illuminated Martha, catching her red hair and making it shine. She smiled kindly at him. In that moment, to Lex, Martha Kent looked, for all the world, like an Angel.

There were no Angels in the world, Lex reminded himself firmly. There were only those who persecuted due to blind ignorance and those who were persecuted. All his life until he'd started fighting back, he had been one of the latter, and, with the sole exception of his wonderful, beloved, and truly miraculous Clark, Lex knew that if he ever stopped fighting, if he ever once was foolish enough to drop the shield he kept between himself and the outside world, he would be mercilessly persecuted once more. He could not -- _would_ not -- allow that to happen.

The sun sank, and Martha stepped out of its final dying rays, further shattering Lex's illusion. "Lex," she beamed up at him, "I'm so glad you came!"

"I wouldn't miss this dinner you've offered, Mrs. Kent, for the world." Indeed he wouldn't miss it for _his_ world or, at least, the only good thing in his otherwise dark and lonely world, his sweet Clark who was so looking forward to this night with the eager anticipation of the innocent he was. Lex hoped the night would not shatter his innocence for it was part of what made his wondrous heart so full of hope, love, and life.

Martha gazed at Lex, slightly taken aback and hurt not so much by his words as by the tone that snuck into them. Had Clark not told him what she'd written? She was offering the poor boy a great deal more than just a dinner. She was reaching out to him, offering acceptance, friendship, and family. As she gazed into his eyes with the keen attention of a mother, Martha saw the doubt, fear, and hurt shining in the windows to his soul and knew that Lex simply wasn't ready to trust her. She nodded her understanding, but before she could speak, she heard her son running down the steps like a herd of buffalo.

"Lex!" Clark exclaimed, beaming at his love as he bounded down the stairs and jumped onto the floor.

Both Martha and Lex smiled at his exuberance. "Dinner's almost ready," Martha spoke, turning back toward the kitchen. "I'll call you boys in a moment." She glanced at Lex as she added uncertainly, "I hope you'll like it. It's not the gourmet cooking I'm sure you're used to."

"Mrs. Kent," Lex told her with a truly warm smile made gentler and brighter by the doubt he saw in her and caused him to realize that she was as nervous as he was, "if it tastes half as good as it smells, I'm sure it'll be the best thing I've ever tasted! I didn't even realize I was hungry until I pulled into your lane and those delicious aromas started hitting my nose!"

His stomach growled, but a furtive glance around him assured him no one else had heard it. "If I may be so bold as to say so, the meals I've eaten during the picnics I've shared with Clark have all been extraordinary feasts to my taste buds! Your culinary skills would make Emeril weep!"

Martha wasn't sure who Emeril was, but she knew when she was being complimented and beamed in the light of Lex's praise. "Thank you, Lex."

"These are for you," Lex continued, handing Martha the bouquet of pink roses and Clark the one of full, red roses.

Clark blushed as his mother gushed, "Oh, Lex, thank you! They're so beautiful!" Turning to her son, she asked, "Clark, be a dear and put these in water? I've got to check on dinner."

Clark took the roses and followed behind his mother. Lex lingered in the den for a moment, uncertain of whether he should follow, before trailing slowly behind them.

Clark was at the sink, filling vases with water to put the roses in, while Martha stooped into the stove, checking on the foods she was making. The scents wafting from the open stove alone were nearly enough to topple Lex. He'd never smelled anything so wonderful in all his life! "May I help?" he asked.

Martha looked up with a smile. "Sure. You can set the table." Lex proceeded to do just that, following the directions she gave him to retrieve the necessary items, but when he turned around to spread them out on the table, his blue eyes fell upon a most delicious sight. A couple of freshly baked pies and a tray of homemade sugar cookies encircled a gorgeous coconut cake that Lex instinctively knew would taste every bit as fantastic as it looked. His mouth watered as his eyes grew big with admiration.

Martha had not skimped on a single detail. The pies were perfectly fluted. The sugar still glistened on the cookies that Lex knew would be as soft to the touch as they were sweet to the mouth. A ring of fresh, ripe strawberries glistened on the top of the coconut cake. The layout of desserts looked just like a cover on a Southern cooking magazine!

Lex almost groaned his desire, and then he noticed what the strawberries spelled out and caught his breath in surprise. "Welcome, Lex," they said. He lifted questioning eyes to his love and his mother.

"Mom likes to bake when she's nervous," Clark said in way of explanation.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like," Martha defended.

"It all looks so delicious!" His blue eyes shimmered with emotion as he met Martha's kindly face. "Thank you."

She nodded briefly as she replied, "My pleasure." She smiled warmly. Then her green eyes moved to her son who stood quietly chewing a cookie after having set the vases onto the table. "Clark . . . " He grinned, and Lex chuckled at the embarrassed, impish smile of the little boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Share with your boyfriend," Martha told Clark. Lex could tell from the way she said the word that she'd been practicing its use. Warmth began to filter into Lex's previously worried heart. There was no trap here, neither literal nor figurative. Martha truly did want to welcome him into her home and life, because she wanted her son to be happy and knew he loved him. That was okay. Lex didn't expect any one but Clark to want him to be happy, and he was truly touched that Martha was welcoming him, regardless of her reasons. He was glad Clark had such a sweet, loving mother and that he knew how lucky he was.

For the first time, Lex wondered how his own mother would have reacted to their union. She was the only one before Clark to ever love him, and Lex knew that nothing would have diminished her love for him, her son. She would have done her best to reach out to Clark, just as Martha was now doing for him.

"Here," Clark spoke with a wink as his mother turned back to the stove. Lex took the offered cookie and grinned as his love snatched up another one and quickly popped it into his mouth. He chewed swiftly, but Lex took his time to gingerly nibble and savor each drop. He was certain, as his taste buds danced in pleasure, that no one cooked as wonderfully as Martha Kent!

After licking the sugar granules from his fingers, Lex finished setting the table. He put one placing at the end of the table and set the other two across from each other. He frowned in puzzlement at the short collection of silverware. Martha had told him to only get one fork and knife each!

He quickly hid his confusion when the Kents turned around. Clark swept the first pie and cookies off of the table. Following his example, Lex carefully lifted the other pie and cake just in time for Martha to set down a large, glistening baked ham.

Again Lex's mouth watered at the mere sight of the food. Every ham he'd ever had before had been a bit on the dry or tough side, but he could tell with a single glance at this one that its meat would be tender, juicy, and thoroughly succulent. He'd never seen a ham covered in pineapple before but managed to hide his confusion over that. Perhaps the pineapples' juice was what made the ham shine so splendidly.

"Set the desserts on the counter please, boys." Martha then announced, "Dinner is ready. Lex, if you'll bring your plate over while Clark carves the ham . . . "

Lex glanced nervously at Clark who smiled back at him reassuringly. Holding the china plate that had been temporarily designated his carefully in both hands, he walked over to the stove. He'd never eaten in a kitchen before and always had a full plate set before him.

Martha didn't ask him what he would like; she simply filled his plate fuller than any other plate he'd ever had before in his life with a hefty sampling of each dish. He recognized the baked beans but was surprised to find long, shimmering strips of bacon floating in the top of the pan; grinned in eager anticipation at the sight of freshly baked cornbread; carefully scrutinized the appearance of the chopped baby potatoes and green beans he knew came fresh from the Kent family's farm but could find nothing wrong with their appearance and only saw that they looked to be the tenderest of either vegetable he'd ever seen; frowned at a green, leafy substance he was unable to identify; and finally grabbed an egg filled with yellow goo the second Martha set it upon his plate.

He knew from previous experience when Clark had brought deviled eggs to one of their picnics that these unusual snacks were not hot at all despite their name and were instead completely scrumptious. He had craved more eggs since that first time of eating them from Clark's fingers. He tried not to blush as memories of what the seductive feeding had led them to played through his mind while he still stood in front of Mrs. Kent.

Lex popped the whole egg into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring each tender nibble. It tasted so delicious that he closed his eyes in relish while he ate, carefully holding his plate. When he reopened his eyes, Martha was smiling from ear to ear.

"A feast for a King could not possibly be any better," he enthused, sharing her smile with his own beaming expression of joy.

"Lex?" Clark called from the open refrigerator door. "What would you like to drink -- sweet tea, lemonade, milk, or coffee?"

Lex had not expected alcohol to be on the menu that night but was surprised at the lack of soda. Still he was able to quickly make his decision from the memory of the thermos of tea Clark had brought with him once. "Sweet tea." Most teas were either too sweet or too bitter for him, but Martha's had been just right.

He was surprised by how quickly Clark filled their drinks with ice and tea, though he shouldn't have been. He knew his love could move amazingly fast when he wanted to. Lex sat while Martha filled Clark's and her own plates. While their backs were to him, he poked at the messy, green substance on his plate, but it didn't move. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. It was certifiably dead, and he had eaten stranger things. He quickly put his fork down when Clark turned around.

Clark joined him at the table, smiling brilliantly. He took one of the deviled eggs from his own plate and held it tantalizingly before Lex's mouth with a wink. Lex glanced to make sure Martha was still occupied filling her plate, then quickly, but seductively, wrapped his lips around Clark's fingers and drew the egg into his mouth. As he chewed slowly, gazing into his love's baby blues, Clark reached across underneath the table and rubbed his booted foot across Lex's loafer.

Lex nearly jumped out of his hide at the unexpected touch. He'd never expected his beloved to be so bold around his mother! When Martha turned around, Lex did leap to his feet. He made it to her chair in a single stride and pulled out her seat with a smile.

Returning his smile and putting her plate down in front of her, Martha sat. "Thank you, Lex." Looking at her son, she told him with the same gentle smile, "Clark, you could learn some manners from your boyfriend." There was that word again rolling off of her tongue, but it sounded more natural this time.

Lex's smile grew until Martha turned to face him, after he'd retaken his seat, and made an offer he'd not expected. "Lex, would you like to say grace?"

With any one else, an argument would have jumped to Lex's tongue. He did not believe in a benevolent All Mighty, and if he had, he doubted it would have been the same turn-the-other-cheek, kind and gentle God that the Kents held in reverence. As a boy, he had prayed a lot for his mother had taught him how to pray and held a strong belief in faith, but he had swiftly discovered that none of his prayers were answered when she was taken away from him. A man had to work for what he wanted in life, to fulfill his destiny, and even just to gain peace and love. Nothing good or worthwhile was ever handed down to mortals from a God, Angel, or any other superior being.

Yet as Martha smiled warmly at him and Clark met his eyes with a pleading expression in his own blue orbs, Lex knew he could not possibly decline the invitation to do something he'd stopped believing in years ago. He steepled his hands before him, bowed his bald head, and recited the Lord's Prayer he'd been taught in Catholic school.

When his mother and he had chorused "Amen" after Lex had finished the prayer, Clark announced eagerly with a toothy grin, "Back your ears and dig in!"

Lex looked across his table at his love who was quickly shoveling food into his mouth and shook his head in silent wonder. "He's referring to how the animals eat," Martha explained.

And eating like an animal, Lex thought to himself, with an amused grin, as he watched Clark holding a large piece of cornbread dripping butter in one hand while gripping his fork with his other and shoveling food into his mouth like he was a starving man and this his last meal.

"Would you like some butter, Lex?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, please, ma'am." He watched as Martha used her fork to open her piece of cornbread and then slathered butter onto it with her knife. She passed him the opened tub of butter, and he repeated her maneuvers as he prepared his bread. He put his knife down when he was done, pushed the butter to the center of their cozy circle, and took a bite. His eyes drifted closed as he sighed his pleasure. Before coming to the country, he'd never known bread could taste so delicious! If he didn't watch himself, Lex knew he would blimp up overnight from this one fantastic dinner.

Clark's hand snaked out, grabbed a chunk of the ham he'd sliced up, and brought it back to his gnashing teeth. Martha leaned over, pierced a slice with her fork, and carried it back to her plate. Lex did the same, but instead of using a fork to cut off small bites of the tender meat, he used both his knife and fork. The utensils slid into the meat as easily as the knife had into the butter. He took a bite, and again his taste buds screamed their pleasure as they danced on the proverbial Could Nine. Never had any other meat tasted so soft or succulent!

The vegetables were next on his list to try, and Lex soon found that they were every bit as superb as the ham, cornbread, and eggs. He was a little doubtful about the bacon and pressed his fork against it while chewing another deviled egg. It was surprisingly soft. He cut the strip into small bits with his fork and knife. Finally he tried a tiny nibble. It really was as soft as it looked and seemed against his utensils. Lex preferred his bacon crispier, but this was still yummy and very satisfying to the palate.

"So, Lex," Martha asked after taking a sip of her tea, "tell us about your day?"

He looked up in surprise that grew when he realized that she really did want to hear about what was happening with him. No one who had ever asked him that question, other than his own mother, had ever truly cared to hear the answer. He slowly began to rehash his day for her and was delighted when she asked questions about the various businesses he'd visited and the enterprise he'd conducted.

If it had been his father asking, Lex would have known Lionel was working on either uncovering some ugly truth or fact he needed or laying a trap. Any of the many female acquaintances he'd had before Clark had shone his light into his life and rescued him from the darkness his world had become would not have listened or cared enough to ask any questions, would have hurried his answers, and would have only asked in the first place to try to deceive him into believing that they might actually care about him for more than his money and prestige which, of course, none of them ever had.

But Martha did care, and she truly was interested. Even Clark looked up from his dinner from time to time, interjecting his own questions and comments along the discussion. Martha's questions made Lex pause and think about his answers. He found himself considering points of views from the workers as well as questions he'd never thought about before.

When Clark got up to retrieve a second plate, Lex looked hungrily down on his own. He should have been full but found his stomach was still begging for more. Only one food still remained on his plate, and he poked at it doubtfully with his fork.

"They're turnip greens," Martha told him in her gentle, assuring voice.

"They're great!" Clark enthused, turning from the stove and seeing the doubt on his boyfriend's face. Lex raised a single, slender brow as he picked up a forkful and watched the stringy, oozy substance slide partially off of his fork.

"Try it," Martha requested for her soft voice was incapable of commanding. "Just take one bite. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."

"At one time," Lex mused aloud while eyeing the turnip greens, "everything in this world was new to us."

"Yeah . . . " Clark agreed.

"And if you'd never tried anything," Martha caught on, "you would have eaten nothing and starved."

"We would have never known anything we like," Lex finished the thought, "or disliked."

Martha and Clark nodded. Clark put his freshly loaded plate down, and Lex eyed it with envy. He took a bite. He took a second bite and then a third, a slow smile dawning upon his handsome face. "They are good!" he exclaimed.

Clark grinned widely at his love. "Told ya!"

Lex quickly finished his plate, then turned begging eyes on Martha. "May I please have seconds, Mrs. Kent?"

Martha laughed joyously, and the musical sound reminded Lex of his mother. Oh how he missed her! He wondered how she would have liked Clark's mom. They would have hit it off, he was sure, for they were both kind, generous, loving, and simply wonderful women.

"Of course, Lex. There's plenty to go around. Please eat all you want, but don't forget we have dessert."

How could he possibly forget the luscious coconut cake that set on the counter, calling his name; the sugar cookies that he still yearned for more of; or the homemade, picturebook pies that also beckoned? "Believe me, ma'am, I won't!" he promised.

Martha was delighted to see the little boy in her son's boyfriend beaming eagerly at her when she turned around after filling his plate to almost overspilling. Lex was purely delighted to see that not only was every helping bigger than his first but that she'd carefully nestled in four deviled eggs! For the first time that day, he was glad he'd been at first too busy and later too nervous to eat. "Thank you!" he exclaimed right before he swallowed another egg.

"You're very welcome, Lex. It's my pleasure really. I've been waiting for a chance to welcome you and give you a homecooked meal since Clark first brought you home." Lex marveled at the truth shining in her green eyes and jovial face before she turned their conversation skillfully back to his day.

**To Be Concluded . . . **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"I was so nervous!" Lex admitted around an hour later.

"You really had no need to be."

"I know that now," he assured "but I never would have expected you would welcome me into your home, Mrs. Kent, especially after I corrupted your son."

"Lex," Clark admonished, looking up from his fourth plate, "you didn't corrupt me!"

"Yes, I did."

"Mom, tell him -- "

"I'm sure your mother agrees, Clark, and we don't need to put her in the middle of this, sweetheart."

"I do agree," Martha interrupted calmly with a soft tone and gentle gaze. Lex quickly hid his vast disappointment and sorrow in a swallow of tea, but when he put his glass down, the Kents were still gazing intently at him. Martha reached over and laid a gentle hand over Lex's. "You did not corrupt him. You brought love to him and made his world brighter and also my own by doing so."

"Some people say you can't keep the world at bay forever, Lex, but I've known people who did. They suffered because of it, and those who would have loved them also suffered. Clark loves you, Lex, and I know you love him. You've made my son happier than he's ever been before, and I love you for that."

Lex swallowed hard. Unable to face her intent, compassionate gaze or Clark's loving orbs for fear that they might see the tears that glistened in his own eyes, he dropped his gaze to his plate that was so empty it shined. "I . . . "

He was saved by Clark's eager voice. He'd not heard him get up or move to the counter, but clearly he had for when he looked up, Lex found Clark standing before the coconut cake that now sat on the table. "Who's for cake?" Clark asked, and when his mother left the table to fetch the proper saucers for dessert, he winked at his love. "It's okay," he mouthed, reaching over and giving the same hand his mother had tenderly touched minutes before a reassuring squeeze. "I love you."

Lex barely had time to mouth, "I love you too. Thank you," and nod before Martha turned back around. He hoped Clark understood his entire message and that he was thanking him for so much more than just tonight's dinner and his understanding. He was thanking him for his understanding and compassion in all things; for deigning to love his unworthy hide; for having patience with him as he struggled against his self-protection instincts to keep the world and all those in it at arm's length; and, most of all, for saving him from the lonely, miserable, and ravaging darkness that had been on the verge of consuming Lex's entire world when Clark's love and light had chased it away.

Now he had a reason to live and to hope and a love brighter, sweeter, and more wonderful than any he could have ever hoped for. As he glanced back at Clark's mother, Lex realized he now had two reasons to hope for a brighter future and a better world and to strive to be the best man, not just the most powerful, he could be.

Martha turned around and placed the saucers next to the cake. Then she handed Lex a large knife. At his questioning look, she asked, "Will you cut the cake for us, please, Lex?"

"Sure," Lex replied hesitantly. Then he clarified, "Yes, ma'am." He scrutinized the cake with a new apprehension before slowly slicing the knife into the cake. Very carefully, he cut three large pieces and laid each, balancing them between the knife and his fork, onto the saucers.

Martha placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Lex. You did a fine job." He let out a breath he'd not been aware of holding at her touch and approval. He'd cut cake before but never once cared if he might mess up.

Martha and Clark resumed their seats, and the threesome ate their first piece in silence that was interrupted only by their various sounds of satisfaction. "That was so delicious!" Lex exclaimed adamantly when he was finished.

"Seconds?" Clark suggested, reaching over to grab the knife.

Lex looked questioningly at Martha. At her reassuring nod, he eagerly said, "Yes, please!" Yet when two pieces had been eaten and Clark suggested thirds, Lex had to decline. "I couldn't possibly eat one more bite!" he explained, gingerly patting his full stomach. He'd never been fuller -- or more completely satisfied by food -- before in his whole life!

Clark's full mouth drew down into a seductive pout. "I wanted you to try Mom's blueberry pie! It won three county fair awards in three straight years!"

"It sounds absolutely delicious," Lex said with a sigh, "but I honestly can't hold another bite right now!" He paused, then suggested, "Perhaps after we wash the dishes for your mother?"

Clark and Martha both looked at him in surprise. "Lex, you are a guest in my home -- "

"Yes, ma'am, and as a guest, should I not have my requests granted?"

"You should take it easy!" Martha replied. "You're not expected to work tonight, Lex!"

Lex stood and, while rolling up his sleeves and paying very close attention to the crisp, white cloth, told her, "With all due respect, ma'am, it would please me to wash your dishes. If my mother were alive today and she created such a fabulous feast as that which you've gifted us with tonight, and there was, for whatever reason, no hired help to do so, I would wash her dishes for her. I would not want her to have to work even more when she had already spent hours toiling in the kitchen for my pleasure."

He took off his Rolex. His eyes finally met hers as he dropped his watch into his pocket. "So may I please wash your dishes, Mrs. Kent?"

Martha's head gave a slight bow. "Yes." She smiled at him, her green eyes misty. "Thank you."

He nodded, moved to the sink, and set quietly to work. Martha puttered around the kitchen while Lex washed the dishes and Clark dried them and put them up. When they were done cleaning and the kitchen was spotless again, Clark grabbed Lex and pulled him into a hug. "Stay," he whispered against his ear.

"I don't think your mother would approve," Lex murmured, relishing the feel of the love of his life in his arms.

"We could play a game or something," Clark said aloud. Lex wondered what kind of game Clark could possibly be suggesting they play in front of his mother.

Martha chimed in then. "We have Monopoly, Life, Sorry, Scrabble, cards, checkers . . . " Then her eyes caught sight of the clock and widened considerably. "My word! It's nearly ten o'clock already!"

Lex followed her gaze, and his face fell. He sighed. "As much fun as it's been and could be still, my love," he told Clark, lifting his hand and chastely kissing it, "I'm afraid I must take my departure now. I've got a board meeting early in the morning."

Clark pouted. "Can't you miss it, Lexie?"

"Sh!" Lex admonished gently, a grin tugging at his mouth despite his restraints, but it was too late. He'd already let the pet name slip.

"Just this one?"

"I'm afraid not, Clark. My father will be there, and I have to be present to check mate him." He lifted his left hand while his right hand continued to hold Clark's and lovingly caressed his smooth, satiny cheek. "I would if I could. You know there's nothing I'd rather do than be with you, my darling love, but duty calls."

"Clark," Martha spoke, "why don't you walk Lex to his car and then we can study for your test tomorrow?"

Clark groaned. He'd forgotten all about the test!

"You didn't tell me you have a test," Lex accused, gazing into his eyes with a finger gently hooked underneath his chin.

"You didn't ask." Clark shrugged. "Any way, it's an easy test," he said with more confidence than he felt. "It'll be a piece of cake."

Lex shuddered inwardly at Clark's poor choice of words. "Never say that," he warned.

"Why not?"

"It's a long story that I'll tell you later. Just don't use that phrase, okay, sweetheart?"

"Okay," Clark agreed easily, smiling as he gazed into his love's eyes, despite his curiosity.

"And you ace that test tomorrow too."

"Yes, sir," Clark returned, his grin growing. He gave him a mock salute with two fingers and winked.

Lex quickly and chastely kissed Clark's soft lips, then forced himself to pull away. He turned to face his love's mother. "Thank you, Mrs. Kent, for having me over tonight."

"Any time, Lex," she said, beaming even in the light of the boys' show of love. "Absolutely any time. If you just want to talk, need a place to stay, whatever, just come by."

"What about Clark's father?"

"He'll come around." When Lex and Clark both looked doubtful, Martha gently touched Lex's shoulder as she reassured them both, "Jonathan's set in his ways, but he really does love Clark. When he sees how his beliefs upset him, he'll change. He wouldn't hurt him for the world and has no clue that he has. Just give him time."

"And as for you, Lex," she continued, gazing into the eyes of a young boy whose soul was far older than it should be and who had seen far more sorrow, pain, and misery already in his short years than any one should have to cope with their entire lives, "I know I can never replace your mother. I would never want to, but if ever you should need the love of a mom, remember I'm not far."

Tears filled Lex's blue eyes, and this time they fell. He hugged Martha quickly, then pulled away and wiped fiercely at the tears that were free falling down his face. Martha reached up and gently touched his right hand. "It's okay, Lex. It's okay to cry. Tears don't make you weaker." She shook her head. "You miss your mom," she continued, her own throat tight with emotions, "and your tears show that you're not afraid to show how much you miss her."

Lex's blue eyes glimmered with uncertainty, confusion, and pain pass the tears that filled them. "I . . . never thought about it that way . . . " he admitted quietly.

"It's true," Martha assured him, her lovely face glowing with reassurance, honesty, love, and compassion. "If your mother was here, she'd tell you the same thing. Jonathan and I both cried," she confided, "when Clark came into our lives, because we were so happy. Mark Antony cried when he lost Cleopatra. George Washington cried for the lives that were lost crossing the Delaware even though they were victorious."

"Tears are nothing to be ashamed of, Lex," she continued as Lex's bottom lip quivered. "They are symbols of love, passion, sorrow, and even strength, because by choosing to let them fall, you're telling the world you don't care what they think about your tears because you're strong enough to admit how you feel and know you're no lesser because of it."

Clark walked up behind Lex and wrapped his arms tenderly around him. "She's right, you know," he spoke gently next to his ear as he hugged him, "but we'll understand if you don't . . . " His voice trailed off. He had been surprised by his mother's eloquency. It was almost as though she'd been planning this speech for a long time, but now, as usual, his own words failed him when he needed them the most.

Yet Lex understood what he meant nonetheless. There was no pressure here, he realized, to be anything, or one, he was or was not or to do or not do anything. There was only acceptance and love. And the tears came pouring down, for the first time since his inebriated father had backhanded him across his bedroom for crying after his mother's funeral. They started like a tidal wave, and his body shook and trembled in Clark's loving arms as they grew into a full blown typhoon.

Martha stepped forward and wrapped her arms comfortingly around her boys. "It's okay," she whispered, beginning to cry herself. "Let it go. We love you, Lex."

Her words brought out a sob of misery that had been choked back for far too long. Clinging tightly to the only people to love him for most of his life, Lex finally let the storm of his emotions rage as he poured his heart out in the warm, protective glow of their love.

**The End**

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this story, or any of my other writings, I hope you'll consider joining my friends and I at a brand new fan fic/art site we're creating called Ficcers Unite or a new challenge forum I've created call Calling the Muses. At Ficcers Unite, we welcome all fandoms, pairings (slash and het), and even no pairings at all, and we'll also be RPing a world where Disney and Marvel comes together in one universe. At Calling the Muse, we plan on having a challenge day every day of the week -- one fandom per day unless we get lucky and get more than seven fandoms -- issued by different people (one person per fandom); the challenges will be issued once a week every week. Come on over and check us out at ficcersuniteDOTproboardsDOTcom or .net/forum/Calling_the_Muse/75047/ today!


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